The setting is in the summer mainly in Rucker Park in New York.
Point of View:
The book's point of view is pretty much told in 3rd person limited, but is also kind of 3rd person omniscient. Most of the story is told by the main character, Mackey. But every so often, there will be a few paragraphs about what a specific character is thinking at the time.
Plot:
Mackey is best friends with J.R., and J.R.'s dad, Stove, is really close with Mackey, too since Mackey's father passed away. Mackey and J.R. are participating in a tournament held at Rucker Park. Not too long before the championship game, J.R. is fatally stabbed right in front of Mackey. Now, Mackey has to deal with the championship game along with the feeling inside of him that what happened to J.R. was his fault.
Characters:
Mackey/
Hold the Mustard
(protagonist)
He is the main character. He is best friends with J.R. He plays on the Greenbacks and is a pretty good basketball player. His nickname is Hold the Mustard.
J.R.
(minor/ protagonist)
J.R. is Stove's son and also played for the Greenbacks. He was stabbed to death before the championship game.
Stove
(minor character)
Stove is his nickname from his playing days. He is J.R.'s father and is the referee for the championship game of the tournament.
Fat Anthony
(antagonist)
He is the coach for Non-Fiction, the team the Greenbacks face in the Championship. Stove tells Mackey and J.R. that you don't want to get mixed up with him.
J-Greene
(antagonist)
J- Greene is a rapper that is the sponsor of the Greenbacks. Mackey really does not care for him at all.
Conflicts:
There are plenty of conflicts to be found in this book, some of the main ones would be Mackey vs. Himself, Mackey vs. Fat Anthony, Mackey vs. J-Greene, Fat Anthony vs. J-Greene, and Stove vs. Everyone. Mackey vs. himself is a person vs. self conflict in which he doesn't know what to do because of what he has done. He almost can't stand himself because he feels as though J.R.'s death was all his fault. In a person vs. person conflict in Mackey vs. Fat Anthony, Mackey does exactly what Stove tells him not to do and it affects his game, his friendship, and some other things, too. Another person vs. person conflict was Mackey vs. J-Greene. Due to what Mackey did with Fat Anthony, there is a conflict with J-Greene once he finds out about it. Fat Anthony vs. J-Greene is another person vs. person conflict because they are coaching against each other and place a $5000 bet on the game. In a person vs. society conflict, Stove vs. Everyone, Stove's wife has been dead and Stove was then left alone after J.R. dies. After J.R.'s death, Stove has no one he can trust and doesn't know who is responsible for the slaying of J.R.
Theme:
The theme of the book is probably to be sure to make good decisions and listen to people. It is shown because Mackey doesn't make very good decisions that also go against what Stove had told him and it ends up hurting Mackey.
Setting:
The setting is in the summer mainly in Rucker Park in New York.Point of View:
The book's point of view is pretty much told in 3rd person limited, but is also kind of 3rd person omniscient. Most of the story is told by the main character, Mackey. But every so often, there will be a few paragraphs about what a specific character is thinking at the time.Plot:
Mackey is best friends with J.R., and J.R.'s dad, Stove, is really close with Mackey, too since Mackey's father passed away. Mackey and J.R. are participating in a tournament held at Rucker Park. Not too long before the championship game, J.R. is fatally stabbed right in front of Mackey. Now, Mackey has to deal with the championship game along with the feeling inside of him that what happened to J.R. was his fault.Characters:
Hold the Mustard
(protagonist)
(minor/ protagonist)
(minor character)
(antagonist)
(antagonist)
Conflicts:
There are plenty of conflicts to be found in this book, some of the main ones would be Mackey vs. Himself, Mackey vs. Fat Anthony, Mackey vs. J-Greene, Fat Anthony vs. J-Greene, and Stove vs. Everyone. Mackey vs. himself is a person vs. self conflict in which he doesn't know what to do because of what he has done. He almost can't stand himself because he feels as though J.R.'s death was all his fault. In a person vs. person conflict in Mackey vs. Fat Anthony, Mackey does exactly what Stove tells him not to do and it affects his game, his friendship, and some other things, too. Another person vs. person conflict was Mackey vs. J-Greene. Due to what Mackey did with Fat Anthony, there is a conflict with J-Greene once he finds out about it. Fat Anthony vs. J-Greene is another person vs. person conflict because they are coaching against each other and place a $5000 bet on the game. In a person vs. society conflict, Stove vs. Everyone, Stove's wife has been dead and Stove was then left alone after J.R. dies. After J.R.'s death, Stove has no one he can trust and doesn't know who is responsible for the slaying of J.R.Theme:
The theme of the book is probably to be sure to make good decisions and listen to people. It is shown because Mackey doesn't make very good decisions that also go against what Stove had told him and it ends up hurting Mackey.More Information:
Paul Polvoni: Teen NovelsRucker Park Setup (Hardcover) by Paul Polvoni This is a review about the book.
Rucker Park Learn about Rucker Park and cool stuff about basketball.